Grizzly Volunteers at NHL Winnipeg Jets Hockey Fights Cancer Game!!

Founded in 1998 by the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association, Hockey Fights Cancer (HFC) unites the hockey community in support of cancer patients and their families. November is the Hockey Fights Cancer month across the NHL. Each of the 31 NHL Clubs celebrate their own Hockey Fights Cancer Night. For the Winnipeg Jets, it was hosted on November 29th, 2018 game at MTS Centre in Winnipeg against the Chicago Blackhawks.

PMH/BRHC Volunteer Services communicated with True North Sports and Entertainment (TNSE) to seek participation for Grizzly and Mark Saler. Jets fans met Grizzly on the concourse at the Prairie Mountain Health booth before the game, where hockey fans could get a photo with Grizzly!! Grizzly was not fazed by all the attention. Grizzly’s main job was to offer a little pet therapy to the 4 Ambassadors who were selected to drop the puck. Grizzly was a big hit and won the hearts of everyone he met!!

The NHL Winnipeg Jets partners with Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation where proceeds for the evening were directed to pediatric clinical trials. The Jets supported 150 free game tickets to cancer patients under treatment.

Mark and Grizzly have been active volunteers for Prairie Mountain Health for 3 years, contributing time weekly to inpatient and outpatient programs at Brandon, Neepawa and Minnedosa Hospitals. Western Manitoba Cancer Centre and the Pediatric Unit are priority stops for Grizzly and Mark!!!

Check out this video from the puck drop that shares some info about the ambassadors.